Track level indicating device



May 25, 1965 F. PLASSER ETAL 3,184,853

mcx mm; mmcume DEVICE Filed Aug. 17. 1961 1 FILE-E 2 (PRIOR n'r'er)ENTOR-i F 445552, BY as 0' 171E08- EL United States Patent 3,184,853TRAGK LEVEL INDICATING DEVICE Franz Plasser and Josef Theurer, both ofJohannesgasse 3, Vienna, Austria, and Egon Schubert, Stnrzgasse 17,Vienna, Austria Filed Aug. 17, 1961, Ser. No. 132,192 Claims priority,application Austria, Sept. 28, 1960, A 7,377/60 3 Claims. (Cl. 33-60)The present invention relates to track aligning systems, and moreparticularly to track level indicating devices used in such systems.

In track aligning, it is known to establish a line of sight or areference line vertically spaced from the track rails and to control thealignment of the track in respect of this reference line. The referenceline is defined by two reference points which may be fixed or movable inrelation to the elongation of the track. The track is aligned by liftingand/ or laterally moving the same at a position or positions between thetwo reference points, and the reference line serves as the guide fordetermining the lifting and/ or lateral moving stroke. For thisguidance, there is provided a track level indicating device whichcomprises a frame adapted to be positioned upon the track rails, anindicating means, such as a marker plate, mounted on the frame and alevel indicating edge on the indicating means, the indicating edgecooperating with the reference line to establish the desired guidance.

In conventional devices of this type, the track plane de fined by therails, the frame and the level indicating edge were arranged in thefollowing planar relationship; with the track rails defining a firstplane, the frame defined a second plane perpendicular thereto andextending in the same direction as the track rails while the levelindicating edge extended in a transverse third plane vertically spacedfrom the first plane for cooperation with the reference line andperpendicular to the second plane whereby the third plane was alwaysparallel to the first plane.

In a track curve or an arcuate portion of the track, the straightreference line necessarily forms a chord of the arc. The chord is, ofcourse, laterally farther removed from the axis of the track at thecenter of the arc than at its end points. Thus, if the outer rail issuperelevated, the level is incorrectly indicated by the conventionaldevices because of the larger distance of the reference line from thetrack.

It is the primary object of the present invention to elim inate thisaligning error in track level indicating devices.

This object is accomplished in accordance with this invention by placingat least a part of the level indicating edge, at least when the needtherefor arises, in a plane which deviates from the perpendicular inrespect of the plane of the mounting frame. The angle of deviation ofthis plane is at least nearly the same as the angle between thehorizontal and the actual plane of the transversely inclined trackdefined by the track rails in a track curve.

Thus, in the track level indicating device of the invention, the trackplane defined by the rails, the frame and the level indicating edge arearranged in the following planar relationship; with the track railsdefining a first plane, the frame defining a second plane perpendicularthereto and extending in the same direction as the track rails, and thelevel indicating edge extending in a third plane vertically spaced fromthe first plane and transverse to the second plane, the third plane hasat least one part enclosing an angle with a fourth plane verticallyspaced from and parallel to, the first plane, said angle being at leastnearly the same as the angle between the horizontal and the first planewhere the first plane deviates from the horizontal.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the level 3,184,853 PatentedMay 25, 1965 indicating edge inclination is fixed in accordance with theprevailing inclination of the track at curves.

In this preferred embodiment, the indicating means has two like levelindicating edge parts rising from a center point and deviating from aplane parallel to the plane of the track by like angles. In thisembodiment, either one or the other edge par-t will cooperate with thereference line, depending on the direction of inclination of the trackplane, i.e. the direction of the curve. The center point will cooperatewith the reference line when the track plane is horizontal, i.e. whenthe track runs straight.

The above and other objects, advantages and features of the presentinvention will be more fully understood by reference to the followingdetailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein FIG. 1 is a top viewof a track curve to be levelled;

FIG. 2 is a schematic end view of a conventional track level indicatingdevice;

FIG. 3 is a similar end view of a track level indicating deviceaccording to this invention; and

FIGS. 4 to 6 are similar end views of a specific embodiment of theindicating device according to the inven tion, shown in operation attrack portions with different transverse inclinations.

Referring first to FIG. 1, there is shown a track curve, the trackincluding a pair of rails 1, 1 mounted on ties 2. The end points 4, 4 ofthe level reference line 5 are located at spaced control points 3, 3along the track. As is well known in conventional track levelingsystems, a desired line of sight or reference line, which may be a wireor a beam of light or other radiation, for instance, is established in aplane vertically spaced from the track rails in any desired manner andthe track rails are then lifted in reference to this line. The levelindicating means 7 which cooperates with the reference line 5 is shownpositioned at location 6 of the track, i.e. at the center of the trackarc.

As is known, in a curved track section, the outer rail is higher thanthe inner rail of the track so that the track plane xx (see FIG. 3),which is defined by the rails, encloses an angle ,8 with the horizontal.In FIGS. 2 and 3, the inclination of this first or track plane isassumed to be the same at track points 3, 3; and 6, the track 1, 2 shownat the left in these figures indicating the track at mid-point 6 of thecurve while the track at the right side of the figures is indicative ofthe track curve end points 3 and 3.

As schematically shown in FIG. 2, which merely illustrates the principleof conventional level indicating devices, such devices comprise a frame9 adapted to be positioned upon the track rails, an indicating meansmounted on the frame and a level indicating edge 7 on the indicatingmeans. The frame defines a second plane perpendicular to the first ortrack plane x-x and the level indicating edge extends in a planevertically spaced from, and parallel to, the track plane for cooperationwith the levelling reference line 5.

it appears from the illustration of track points 3, 3', on the one hand,and 6, on the other hand, in FIG. 2 that, while the track planeinclination at both points is identical, the indicating edge 7 will showan error of the length in respect of the reference line 5 at point 6when the edge is parallel to the track plane.

FIG. 3 shows the principle of a level indicating device constructedaccording to the invention to avoid this error. While the frame Si isthe same as in the device of FIG. 2, the level indicating edge 8 isshown to have one point 11 in a fourth plane y--y (illustrated in brokenlines) which is vertically spaced from, and parallel to, the first ortrack plane while a part of the edge extends in a third plane transverseto the frame plane and enclosing an angle ensgsss a with the fourthplane. The angle or is shown to be the same-although it could slightlydeviate therefrom-as the angle (3 between the track plane'and thehorizontal. Thus, as will be seen from FIG. 3 if a part of the levelindicating edgecooperating with reference line or wire 5 is notperpendicular to the frame plane, as in the prior art, the error attrack point 6 is eliminated.

As shown in the schematic illustration of FIG. 3, the indicating devicepreferably includes two mutually inclined level indicating edge parts,edge parts 8 and 8a ending at center point 1-1 and the two like partsrising from the center point at substantially the same angle a.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 4 to 6,illustrating a structure incorporating the principle schematically showninFIG. 3. The three figures show the level indicating device,respectively, at a transversely horizontal position of the track and attwo transversely oppositely inclined track positions.

As shown, a track level indicating device is mounted on each rail 1 andthe frames 9 of the two devices are interconnected to constitute apreferably mobile chassis which may be readily moved along the track.Each frame 9 has mounted thereon an indicating means constituted by avertically extending marker plate 10 with mutually inclined levelindicating plate edges 8 and 8a: In the track position of FIG. 4,wherein the track is transversely horizontal, the reference line 5cooperates with the center point of the level indicating edge, whichlies in a plane parallel to the horizontal plane of the track. Dependingon the transverse inclination of the track at track curves, as shown inFIGS. 5 and 6, the reference line or wire 5 will contact differentportions of the level indicating edge 8 or 8a to determine the correctgrade of the track in respect of this line.

While the invention has been described in connection with a preferredembodiment, it will be clearly understood that many variations andmodifications may occur to the skilled in the art, particularly afterbenefiting from the present teaching without departing from the spiritand the scope of this invention as defined in the appended claims. Moreparticularly, the specific structure of the level indicating means andthe manner of producing the level reference line is totally irrelevanttothe principles of the present invention.

What we claim is:

1. A track aligning arrangement including (1) a reference lineassociated with at least one of the track rails and extending in thedirection of track,

elongation vertically spaced from said rail; and (2) a track levelindicating device associated with said track rail for indicating thelevel of said rail and comprising (a) a frame positioned upon said rail,(11) an indicating means mounted on the frame and (c) a level indicatingedge on said indicating means and engaging the reference line;

(3) the track defining a first plane, the level indicating edgeextending in a third plane vertically spaced from the first plane andtransverse of a second plane through said associated rail andperpendicular to the first plane, said edge having one edge partenclosing a fixed angle with a fourth plane which is vertically spacedfrom, and parallel to, the first plane, said fixed angle'being at leastnearly the same as, the angle between the horizontal and the first planewhere said first plane deviates from the horizontal, said angles facingin opposite direction;

2. The track level indicating device of claim 1, wherein said levelindicating edge has a center point at the intersection of the second andfourth planes, said one part in the third plane rising from the centerpoint at said angle an another part of the indicating edge rising fromthe center point at the same angle and in the pposite direction.

3. An arrangement for aligning a track having two rails and including 7(l) a reference line associated with each one of said rails and eachreference line extending in the direction of track elongation verticallyspaced from the associated rail;

(2) a mobile chassis arrangedfor ready movement on,

and along, said track rails;

(3) a track level indicating device comprising (a) a frame positionedupon said mobile chassis,

(b) a separate and independent indicating means associated with eachrail and mounted on the frame, and

(c) a level indicating edge on each indicating means and each levelindicating edge engaging a respective one of said reference lines; and

(4) the track defining a first plane, each level indicating edge havingtwo edge parts rising in opposite directions from a center point, eachedge part extending in a third plane vertically spaced from the firstplane and transverse of a second plane through the associated rail andperpendicular to the first plane, said center point lying in said secondplane'and each edge part rising from the center point at a fixed anglewith a fourth plane which is vertically spaced from, and parallel to,the first plane, said fixed angles being at least nearly the sameas theangle between the horizontal and the first plane where the first planedeviates from the horizontal, and the center point being at theintersection of the second and fourth planes.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,100,543 6/14Daniel 33-145 1,124,247 1/1 5 Aldridge 33-60 1,438,404 12/22 Schweikert3360 ISAAC LISANN, Primary Examiner.

1. A TRACK ALIGNING ARRANGEMENT INCLUDING (1) A REFERENCE LINEASSOCIATED WITH AT LEAST ONE OF THE TRACK RAILS AND EXTENDING IN THEDIRECTION OF TRACK ELONGATION VERTICALLY SPACED FROM SAID RAIL; AND (2)A TRACK LEVEL INDICATING DEVICE ASSOCIATED WITH SAID TRACK RAIL FORINDICATING THE LEVEL OF SAID RAIL AND COMPRISING (A) A FRAME POSITIONEDUPON SAID RAIL, (B) AN INDICATING MEANS MOUNTED ON THE FRAME AND (C) ALEVEL INDICATING EDGE ON SAID INDICATING MEANS AND ENGAGING THEREFERENCE LINE; (3) THE TRACK DEFINING A FIRST PLANE, THE LEVELINDICATING EDGE EXTENDING IN A THIRD PLANE VERTICALLY SPACED FROM THEFIRST PLANE AND TRANSVERSE OF A SECOND PLANE THROUGH SAID ASSOCIATEDRAIL AND PERPENDICULAR TO THE FIRST PLANE, SAID EDGE HAVING ONE EDGEPART ENCLOSING A FIXED ANGLE WITH A FOURTH PLANE WHICH IS VERTICALLYSPACED FROM, AND PARALLEL TO, THE FIRST PLANE, SAID FIXED ANGLE BEING ATLEAST NEARLY THE SAME AS THE ANGLE BETWEEN THE HORIZONTAL AND THE FIRSTPLANE WHERE SAID FIRST PLANE DEVIATES FROM THE HORIZONTAL, SAID ANGLESFACING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTION.